Shopping for Pops

We did another one of our informal polls around here, and found that 7 out of 10 women feel like they’ve never knocked it out of the park for Father’s Day — interesting because in a similar poll, 80 percent of men thought they nailed Mother’s Day this year.

Last month, we walked around Manulife Centre looking for great Mother’s Day gifts, so we thought we’d do it again for the poppas. And while we found stuff at Bay Bloor Radio that any dad would love to have, we decided to dig a little deeper and go a bit off the board. Here’s some of what we discovered:

Socks at Quattro

Seriously? Socks? Yes, seriously. Funky socks are all the rage this year, and Quattro Clothiers is sporting some of the best from 7 Downie Street, a surprisingly Canadian company with a finger on the pulse of Saville Row fashion.

We wouldn’t say any of them were “traditional,” but none are outlandish enough to make Dad stand out for the wrong reasons.

A Pen from Birks

If you have an “old-school” dad, a Birks classic writing utensil will make his year. It says “educated,” “distinguished” and “important” all at the same time, and it looks just as good on display as it will on the page.

This is an especially good gift for dads who run businesses — because every entrepreneur needs a lucky pen to sign cheques and contracts.

Phil Knight’s New Book from Indigo

As the founder of Nike, of course he’d name the book Shoe Dogs. And, of course, any dad would love it. Especially the part about turning the NBA, a league that was in a bit of trouble, into the juggernaut property it is today by commodifying the feeling of being “like Mike.” It’s on display by Indigo’s lower level cash desk, across from the LCBO. Speaking of which…

Vintage Whisky from the LCBO

Any other time, you can bring your dad a bottle of wine and call it a day. But on his day, you can go a bit above and beyond. The selection of specialty Whisky in our LCBO is impressive. We have our favourites, but we’ll remind you that with Whisky, presentation is just as important as taste. If you can find a sexy bottle, we suggest you pounce.

Cocktails set from William Ashley

Mad Men might be off the air, but its legacy of sipping cocktails with your buddies and solving the world’s problems is still very en vogue. See to it that the next one is at your house. And while you’re at William Ashley, pick up something nice up for Mom — you know, for putting up with Dad.

If you come across anything else around here you think your dad would like, feel free to share it on our social channels @ManulifeCentre